


Cats and the Worries that come with Them

by Danmairen



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Fluff, M/M, Panic Attacks, The relationship is not really tha obvious but it is there, and it is whatever you want it to be, cat gets sick, i am projecting my life onto my bias and i apologize, idk?, kind of?, thats it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14967443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danmairen/pseuds/Danmairen
Summary: Junhui gets back home to find his cat ill, which calls for anxiety. Good thing that the three others exist to save the day.





	Cats and the Worries that come with Them

**Author's Note:**

> I was panicking because my cat became sick, and the only way to get it out of my system was to write it out so... Tadah? It is entirely my own experience, except for the endning, because sadly, I do not have three nice (boy)friends to comfort me:( The anxiety-part is based of my own experiences with anxiety and panic attacks, and thus it might not be a general representation of the disorder, but it is how I experience it. It's most likely not the best, but I am imrpoving and just want to contribute to the WonHuiHaoGyu-fics!

”Xiao Yue!”

Junhui smacked the door close behind him, and began dragging his beaten body into the dark apartment. He had at last ended his wushu-lesson, thus his beaten state, and felt the usual relaxed energy fill his body, as it always did after fighting. Using his body made him feel at peace, a nice break-away from his daily university work, which was nothing but boring professors and 3-inches thick books about some old phycologists hatred towards the world. Spoiler alert: not very interesting. As he turned on the light in the entrance, Junhui was surprised not to hear the soft pitter-patter of paws against hard-wood flooring. Yue, whether it was in the early afternoon hours or at 2am, always greeted him when he came home. And so, the absent of said caused a confused frown to settle onto the Chinese male’s face. 

“Yue? Where are you?” he called into the apartment, hoping that the female would appear, but even as he pulled off his shoes and hanged his coat onto the coat stand, no one appeared. It was so unusual of her not to reply, and Junhui felt his stomach drop a slight bit, a seed of fear settling into the newly formed pit. The rational part of himself knew that any of the scenarios his brain could come up with were highly unlikely to be true, because of course a burglar would go after his valuable items, not his little girl. The anxiety laid in the back of his mind either way, as he dropped his sports bag onto the dinner table, and began searching for Yue.   
He began with the couch and armchair, where she normally would slumber the day away, making small noises and kicking from time to time. But the blankets on the sofa and armchair were untouched, which was somewhat unsettling. Where could she be? Junhui quickly laid onto the floor, stomach down, to search under the furniture, but nothing was to be found.

Next stop was the kitchen, but again, he found it to be empty, as well as the tiny bathroom and broom closet. The anxiety, which had been resting in the back of his mind grew for each room he found empty, and his calls became more and more urgent. Yue would always come when he called, always. But she didn’t.  
At last, he went into his small bedroom, and frantically threw his duvet and pillow off the bed, hoping to find Yue curled comfortably underneath the, but she was no where to be seen. Junhui felt anger mix into his worry, as tears began forming in the corner of his eyes, because for goodness sake, it was not that bad! She would probably turn up, and he would feel stupid for the mess he had made in his entire apartment in his search, and he would laugh it off with his friends tomorrow when they came over and everything would be fine. They would sit on the couch, watch some Marvel movie, to which he would fall asleep because they never seemed able to catch his attention. Junhui would rest his head on a lap, his feet on another, and let his hand run through someone’s hair. Everything would be calm and predictable. Everything would be fine.  
But what if it wasn’t?

Frustrated, Junhui threw himself onto the empty bed, and looked onto the ceiling, attempting to calm himself down before he completely lost control. Yue had always been a part of his life, and not having her around made Junhui’s self-control crumble, losing himself to the whirling thoughts in his head. His rational side was rolling their eyes, because this was just a hysterical reaction, and Junhui knew. But no matter how much he knew, it wouldn’t fill the pit of fear in his stomach. Soft words, warm food and company could, but not knowing. 

His eyes flew across the room, and suddenly he froze, gaze resting upon the top of his closet. A dark lump moved around in the darkness of the room, and without a second’s hesitation, Junhui pulled his work chair in front of the closet and hurried onto it. “Xiao Yue?” he whispered, and his outstretched hands reached the hairy ball, relief washing over him. That little oddball, she always surprised her owner with new antics, such as hiding on a closet to scare the male. The ball moved, and Junhui could now see the tiny pink nose he knew so well, and the whirring whiskers. “Hey baby, how are you, hmm?”. 

As his hand touched the ball, the creature whipped around, now facing the owner, while shying away from the very same person. “Yu-“ he exclaimed, but went mute, as he realized something was wrong. First of all, Yue would always strut into the entrance when her owner came home, but she had been nowhere to be seen today. Second, she had always loved cuddling and all sorts of contact, never once pulling away when she was petted. And third, her right eye was completely closed, eyelid swollen to the size of a hazelnut. Junhui could only follow her with his eyes, as she jumped onto the floor and ran out of the room. This had never happened before and Junhui didn’t know what to do.  
He broke out of his state after a minute and followed the steps of the cat into the living room, where she had taken refuge under the armchair, where a blanket had been left on accident. He rushed closer and tried to get a better look at her eye, but his presence made her flinch, and while his heart ached, he held his distance. He had not gotten a chance to look closer at the eye, but it seemed like an ordinary swelling, not that Junhui had seen her with one before or that he knew what it meant, if it was dangerous. 

He tried to get closer once again, but Yue moved away as soon his hand touched her fur, and within seconds she had run off again. This behavior was so unlike her, so unusual, Junhui didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Normally he would call Wonwoo, as he always knew what to do when it came to cats and cat-care, but it was nearing 11:30pm, and his consciousness wouldn’t allow him to disturb his friend at this hour, even if his hand were shaking and his mind feeling like a watermill, the same string of thoughts and images playing over and over. 

In the kitchen, Yue had laid upon the fridge, again closing herself off to the world, but Junhui now knew better than to approach her. Instead he moved her connected food-and-water bowl, so it was situated right underneath the fridge, and then moved back to the doorsill. He looked at the fury lump and tried to speak in a calming tone, ignoring the was his anxiety made the words shaky. “Yue, baby, I’ll leave you be, okay? I’ll be in my room, all the doors open, so you can come in of you want. Please, just ... take care”. She didn’t seem to hear him as there was no reaction whatsoever. A few tears escaped Junhui’s eyes, but he turned around and left the kitchen, to get to bed. 

The relaxed energy he had come home with had been replaced by worry, anxiety and a slight bit of anger, mostly directed at himself. He knew so very well that it seemed like he was over reacting, but Yue meant the world to him, and to see her acting so out of the ordinally was terrifying. Junhui loved his routines and his steady life, trying not to stray too much off his planned schedule. He did like occasional breakoffs, changing a routine just a bit or replacing an old one with a new, but it was always controlled. This was out of his hands, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Underneath his blanket, his body gave into the sleepiness, but his mind kept running in circles right until the last bit of consciousness left him. Hopefully, everything would be better tomorrow. It would. It definitely would.

\--

“Yue... Xiao Yue, look at me... Please” Junhui begged, looking at his little girl, now resting on the couch, something which made him feel a slight bit better, but everything else was just wrong. He had woken around 8’oclock, and instantly shoot out of the warm covers, to look after the cat. He found her on the couch, rolled into a ball, laying so still Junhui feared the worst for a solid minute, before he noticed the rise and fall of her chest, releasing a relieved breath. But Yue hadn’t seemed like she had gotten any better, as she now would not even react when she was touched, making her owners panic rise again. The swelling had fallen, thank god, but she wouldn’t open her eyes any more that halfway, and her state altogether looked terrible. 

Junhui had chosen, after searching though the internet for any help, to check up on her every 30 minutes, to give her some room to rest, but not letting her stay out of his eyesight for too long. Someone might say that it was unrealistic to fear her dying, but that was just what Junhui was doing, and knowing that some might disapprove of it didn’t make him feel any better. Around 2pm, a knock on the door pulled Junhui out of his circle of biting his nails and watching Yue.

He went to open the door, puzzled as to whom it could be. When the door was open and three familiar faces showed themselves, Junhui tried to keep calm for the sake of social expectations, but his controlled façade crumbled, and he broke into a soft sob. The familiarity of the three and the steadiness the all bought with them allowed Junhui to let his feelings flow out, and warm arms embraced him as soon the first hiccup was heard. Clinging onto whomever was hugging him, Junhui was pulled further into the entrance, and someone closed the door with a quiet click. 

“I forgot you’wre commin…” Junhui mumbled into the shoulder of the person embracing min, and the arms simply held him tighter at the words. After a minute or two, Junhui felt himself return to his body, a calming weight of being back in his own body falling over him, and lowering the anxiety running through him. As he pulled back, he came face to face with Mingyu, who looked at Junhui with concerned eyes, full of questions, but thankfully keeping said questions for himself. The familiarity of the situation, as confusing as it was, made Junhui smile, and Mingyu sent him a half-smile back. Letting the taller lead him into the living room, Junhui found Wonwoo settled on the couch, while a clattering from Junhui’s room cleared out the question of Minghao’s location. 

Wonwoo, who had been observing Yue, looked back at Junhui, and walked up to him, giving him a sweet peak on his forehead. “Why didn’t you call me? Worrying all by yourself…” Wonwoo nagged and gave Junhui a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, her eyes are completely fine. She was most likely stung by a bee or wasp, and now her body is breaking down the poison” He explained and brushed a stay piece of har of Junhui’s forehead, eyes full of something warm Junhui didn’t really know how to explain. “She’ll be fine, okay Junnie?” He ended and replaced Mingyu by his side. How Wonwoo knew all this, and how he has figured out the cause of Junhui’s anxiety was unknown, but somehow it did not surprise the Chinese male. In their group, Wonwoo had alwasy been the most perspective, the one who just knew stuff, and none of the three ever questioned his knowledge.

Wonwoo then pulled the, still somewhat, shaken male down on the couch, and let him cuddle close to his chest. They were positioned, so Junhui could still keep his eyes on Yue, while also relaxing into the warmth Wonwoo offered, soaking in the feeling of safety. Clattering from the kitchen and shuffling from his bedroom were the only noises drifting through the apartment. Wonwoo began mumbling about his latest assignment, creating a distraction for Junhui, a new situation to be in. He felt safer now, not safe but safer. He was not alone anymore, and the others seemed to know what to do, taking control of the situation, which was just what the Chinese male needed. Someone to take over and relief his shoulders from the burden of deciding.

After a while, Minghao appeared from the bedroom and smiled at the cuddling pair. “Jun-ge, I found your sweater and shorts. Let’s change into something more comfortable, huh?” He urged, and while Junhui was reluctant to move away from the warmth Wonwoo provided, the though of changing was appealing. He had somehow forgotten to change when he had gotten home, and now his t-shirt smelled mildly moldy. He nodded softly, and squeezed Wonwoo one last time, before he peeled himself off the couch, casting a glance at the resting Yue, before walking up to Minghao. The younger grabbed his hand, and they slowly made their way into the elder’s bedroom. 

When the pair were done, Junhui was spotting a pair of sport shots and a big soft sweater Jisoo had once gifted him. After Junhui’s second episode whith the three, Minghao had discovered the very same clothing resting at the end of the elder chinese’s bed. He had made the elder whange in the middle of his attack, and the outcome had been a much calmer Junhui. The fabric had just the right weight and texture to be grounding, yet not constricting. As time went by it had also begun to smell differently, Mingyu and Wonwoo’s cologne rubbing into the sweater, and though Minghao himself would never admit it, he had spraied the shorts with his deodorant. It was odd, but all together it made the perfect non-panic outfit, and thus no one said anything. While changing Junhui into the navyblue sweater, Minghao couldn’t keep himself from pressing butterfly kisses all over Junhui’s face, making the male giggle and slap the younger lightly. Minghao had a tough image, but around his closest friends, his soft side won over the sassy.

As the two Chinese men walked out of the bedroom, it was just in time to see Mingyu waltz out of the kitchen, a large pot in his hands and Wonwoo following closely after with plates and cutlery. A heavenly smell of chicken and vegetables filled the room as Mingyu removed the lid and began serving the soup he magically had come up with. Both of them looked up as Minghao and Junhui entered the room, and without any words spoken, they settle around the table and dug into the food. 

Minghao stuck up a conversation by asking which movie they would watch afterwards, and not long after, all four were engaged in a heated debate on whether Mulan or Pochahontas were the stronger Disney female character. Mingyu tried to argue that Esmeralda was more headstrong than either of the two others, but Minghao and Wonwoo shot him down without hesitation, simply saying “Shut it beanpole!”, much to the delight of Junhui, who was cracking up in his chair. Wiping away a tear from his eye, Junhui noticed that the three were all looking at him, gazes full of _that something_ , Junhui just couldn’t place a finger on. He blushed slightly but diverted their attention from himself by exclaiming that Merinda was definitely the coolest, once again breathing life into the childish banter.

\--

Minghao had ended up winning the heated debate, and “Mulan” was now playing on the screen of Junhui’s old television, the four huddled together in a cluster, Junhui and Minghao on the couch, while Wonwoo and Mingyu were resting on the floor. Wonwoo was leaning against the couch, with Mingyu’s head in his lab, and Junhui was practically draped over Minghao, who had just laughed at the elder, while putting an arm around his waist. Mulan’s real gender had just been revealed as, all of sudden, a weight was dropped on Junhui’s stomach. 

He looked down, surprised, and almost began tearing up at the sight. Yue, while still a bit drowsy, had jumped only him and was now curled together on top of Junhui, who could now feel the warmth of her through his sweater. Junhui suddenly realized that everything was alright. It may seem weird, but he had been so distracted since the three came into his home, that he hadn’t noticed the lack of anxiety in his mind, the absence of panic swirling in his stomach. He felt so good, utterly safe and warm and protected. That feeling, that warmth, began flowing through his body, filling his veins and pores, until he was glowing with _that_ feeling. Junhui tore his gaze away to look at his friends, or whatever they were. They had never needed a name for what they were, between the kisses and butterflies. They were just them and that was enough for everyone. “Thank you … Really” Junhui whispered, and though he did not get a single verbal reply, the three turned to him and send him a look. A look with _that feeling_ , and Junhui smiled brightly in turn.

“Anytime, Junnie. Anytime”


End file.
